Padres Birthday Spotlight: Blaine Boyer

Jun 20, 2014; San Diego, CA, USA; San Diego Padres relief pitcher Blaine Boyer (58) pitches against the Los Angeles Dodgers during the eighth inning at Petco Park. Mandatory Credit: Jake Roth-USA TODAY Sports

Happy 33rd birthday to Padres relief pitcher Blaine Boyer. He is a Georgia kid and was drafted by the Atlanta Braves in 2000. He has appeared in 9 games for the Padres in relief this year, pitching 13.2 innings, and has not allowed a run.

Boyer has been up and down between San Diego and El Paso with his numbers nearly equally impressive, 25 appearances with a 3.10 ERA. Most recently, he pitched 2 solid innings against the Rockies on Wednesday, striking out 3.

Boyer has quietly become a solid asset in the Padres very strong bullpen. Before this year, he hadn’t appeared in a MLB game since 2011 with the Mets. After a journey that took him to Japan and a windy road through the minor leagues, he is back and better than ever. “I have a better understanding of pitching now…I’ve always been able to throw fairly hard. I’ve always been able to throw it past the guy. That was ignorant on my part,” Boyer told mlb.com’s Corey Brock. With all the injuries the Padres have suffered, there is a decent chance he can stay on the big league club the rest of the year. It also helps that he has only allowed 3 hits during his time up with the Padres in 2014.